I've posted two other questions in the last week regarding my need for a
cheap mic preamp capable of powering my 48V phantom powered condenser mic
and then feeding the signal into the line-in on my sound card. Right now, I
have a midiman audio buddy, but since it's incapable of providing the mic
with the necessary 48V phantom power, I need a new preamp. Someone in my
last post indicated that I don't necessarily need a tube preamp, but didn't
make any alternative suggestions. All of the cheap preamps out there
(sub-$75) seem to be tube preamps, unless I'm missing something.

In case you haven't realized, I'm a newbie to all this stuff, and as someone
who only needs to do some simple voiceover work for my flash cartoons, I was
wondering what exactly I need? Do I need one of these tube preamps, or is
there an even cheaper solution that doesn't employ a tube? What even is a
tube and what is their benefit? Are my alternatives cheaper or more
expensive? Any help would be appreciated--thanks.